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To be honest I haven't heard the name Gisa Vatcky before, even as the Chilean born singer worked with Melissa Etheridge, Meat Loaf as well as Andrea Bocelli and Placido Domingo - to name just a few. Indigo Dying was started as a project of Frontiers Records president Serafino Perugino to give Gisa Vatcky a basis for some hard rock / metal tunes. Gisa Vatcky got help from guitarist Mordechai 'Mordy' Hauser, bassist Fabrizio Grossi - who also produced the album, played acoustic guitar and did the orchestration / programming -, Jamie Teramo on keyboards and drum legend John Macaluso (John Macaluso & Union Radio, Ark, Chris Caffery [touring band 2007] ex-TNT, ex-Riot, ex-Malmsteen). Some additional guitar tracks been laid down by Tommy Denander and Joshua Berkowitz, beside that Miachel Kiske and Mark Boals (Ring Of Fire, ex-Malmsteen) added some vocal parts.
The opening track is All I Never Wanted and is a heavy, guitar-driven rocker which reminds me a bit of Heart and Cristina Scabbia. Miss Vatcky has a warm timbre and a powerful voice which fits perfect to the song. A track which slowly sneaks into your ear and stays. It ain't overall catchy, but... it hooks you up. The vocals vary, so is Gisa sounding quite different on Hear Me. A melodic rocker with some heavy riffs and also some piano-based balladesque parts. The powerful ballad Breathe In Water is the first songs on Indigo Dying where she is joining forces with another singer. Michael Kiske is singing this duet with Gisa and to be honest during the first lines I haven't recognized Michael Kiske which shows that he has a larger range then many expect. The voices accomplish each other and make the tune stick out. On Taken Gisa reminds me a bit of Sheryl Crow... It's not her voice, its the phrasing. Superman is the first work with Mark Boals - a song which changes from balladesque parts to heavy, guitar-driven parts. Here I miss a bit a catchy hook line... A slightly oriental touch the song gets towards the end. Quite modern sounds the other track Gisa shares vocal duties with Mark Boals on Far Enough. With Island she adds a slight country rock appeal to the song and her vocal performance is influenced by Faith Hill. While Better is closer to the gothic / symphonic metal stuff and here Miss Vatcky seems to be influenced by Sharon del Adel. The last track Go is a balladesque song with some symphonic parts and a fragile sounding Gisa. Just beautiful.
Gisa Vatcky vocal performance has a wide range and so the songs offer a large variety with everything from powerful balladesque tunes to melodic metal songs. Partly Macaluso's drum patterns add a progressive edge to the tracks which might surprise some, but John Macaluso has made himself known in the prog scene with Ark and as a member of James LaBrie's touring band and also his latest project John Macaluso & Union Radio is based in the prog metal.
The album has a lot of good ones and even if some take a few spins it is fun to listen from the first time. It has no killer track, but it's an album which you can enjoy for a long time. Everybody who likes a deep timbre and hard rock / melodic metal should check out Indigo Dying!
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